Bishop ordains 10 deacons

“I felt like I was in heaven, watching the whole Mass.”William Dighton, of St. Joseph Parish in Charlton, was talking about the diaconate ordination Saturday at St. Paul Cathedral in Worcester, a new experience for him.“It just lifted me up,” he said. “I had tears in my eyes. … I was overwhelmed by two of my friends becoming deacons.”Two men from his parish – Dominick F. DeMartino and Richard A. Menard III – were ordained permanent deacons.Our Lady of Vilna Parish in Worcester also had two men ordained permanent deacons: Vietnamese natives Peter Quy Nguyen and Quat V. Tran.The other permanent deacon, Paul Connolly, hails from St. Roch Parish in Oxford.Bishop McManus also ordained five transitional deacons, headed for priesthood. Massachusetts native Stephen E. Lundrigan is preparing to be a Worcester Diocesan priest, as are Andrés A. Araque, Daniel E. Moreno and Juan S. Ramirez, who came from Colombia for this purpose. Brother Ronald Sibugan came from the Philippines to discern his vocation with the Augustinians of the Assumption.Nancye Araneo, who taught English to these Colombians (and others before them) at Clark University, told The Catholic Free Press about them after the ordination, which she said many of their fellow students attended.“They’re just wonderful men,” she said. “They’re a pleasure to have in class, and so we’re very excited to have them accomplish their goal. … Many of these men come to the States with no English, and look where they are – they’re deacons. … They’re all ours; we think of them as being ours.”The day had special significance for Deacon DeMartino’s family. His brother Frank DeMartino said they were “very proud of him” and added, “This would have been our mother’s 75th birthday today.” Their mother died a few years ago and their father was unable to come, he said, but he came in from Maryland, and other family members came from Pennsylvania and Illinois for the celebration.“It was a mix of nervousness, excitement and almost like, ‘Is this for real? Am I worthy?’” Deacon DeMartino said of his ordination.“It’s a wonderful blessing for the family, the Diocese and the whole Church,” said Deacon Nguyen’s wife, June Phan. “Peter gets to follow God’s call.” She said their family had been journeying with him and would continue to do so, and that God will help them through any difficulties.“I feel so blessed,” said her husband. “It’s a joyful journey, from the first day of formation up to today. We may think that it’s complete formation, but it’s the beginning for us, because formation continues to the end of our life. And I would like to thank all the people who came.”“It’s a great spiritual journey we’ve all been on,” said Christopher Finan, who said he felt blessed to have been in formation with the permanent deacons. (He hopes to be ordained next year.) “The little part that I played in it all made me feel very close to God,” he said of being a candle bearer at the Mass. “It almost brought me to tears.”